Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made.
"Husband." His wife smiled at him from over the table, her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail on the top of her head. "I'll be visiting Auntie with our son today, will you manage dinner by yourself?"
Ranma nodded, sipping the soup, heavily flavored with the taste of shrimp, and the hint of garlic. It was delicious.
"I'll be fine, Wife. Give Auntie my regards."
"Of course."
Breakfast passed in comfortable silence.
He shrugged on the flack jacket, and was almost out of the door when she called to him again.
"Ran." She said, giving him another smile. "I love you, because I love you."
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"No. No. No." Ranma shook his head at the dark-haired boy, grabbing him by the arm and demonstrated. "You raise your arm like this, and then push out like this."
The boy nodded, and attempted the move without his aid.
"Ahem." A noise at the door.
Ranma looked up, and stiffened the scowl into a look of impassiveness. He turned to his student. "That's enough for now. Take a break, then start reviewing everything we went through today, okay?"
"Okay." The boy nodded, and skipped out of the door, brushing past his pale-eyed visitor.
Hyuuga Hiashi stepped into the training room, closing the door behind him slowly before making his way into the center of the room.
"If this is another rematch you want, I've already given you my answer, Hiashi-san." He hissed softly, frowning at his visitor.
The young man blinked in confusion, before smiling at him faintly in amusement. Bowing, he said. "Hyuuga Hizashi. Umino-san. I am the younger twin of Hiashi-sama, and a member of the Branch House."
"Oh..." Ranma managed weakly, feeling heat rising to his cheeks. "Oh! Umm... sorry, Hyuuga-san."
"Hizashi would be fine, Umino-san." The young man gave him a gleeful smile.
"Hizashi." Ranma nodded. "Can I help you with something then, Hizashi?"
The pale visage sobered. "I came here on matters involving my elder Sister... In-Law, Umino-san..."
"...Hyuuga-san?"
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He paused in front of the door, the faint scent of sterilization that he had came to associate with the Hidden Leaf hospital lingering against his nose. Taking a deep breath, he set his shoulders, and knocked.
Pause.
"Go away." The voice was muffled by the door.
He knocked again. "Hyuuga-san? It's me."
Silence. Followed by shuffling noises. The door opened in front of him, and he looked in familiar white eyes.
"Umino-san." She murmured softly. "Please, come in."
He followed her into the room, sitting down on a familiar stool, his fingers brushing against the slim indents he had created years ago, as she fluttered around him, before taking her own seat across him. "This feels familiar, does it not, Hyuuga-san?"
She smiled faintly, her pale visage ashen from residue sickness. "I remember, Umino-san."
"I... heard about what happened, Hyuuga-san..." He began, hesitant in his unfamiliarity with the topic of conversation.
Her hands brushed against the flatness of her belly. "By...?"
"Hizashi."
"Hizashi? When were you on first name basi... Oh..." She shook her head, long violet hair curling around her already pale face. "I think I know why."
"He's worried about you, Hyuuga-san." Ranma commented, noting the lines fatigue that had developed on her face. "And h..."
"It was a boy..." She murmured, cutting him off. "He meant everything to me, Umino-san, everything. I gave him my love, my affection, my everything, while he grew within my body. But they took him away from me, because he was... imperfect."
"I'm sorry, Hyuuga-san."
"Perhaps it was my punishment... He was going to be my escape from this mockery of a marriage." She continued on, her eyes focused not on him, but the distant wall. "I feel nothing for Hiashi-sama, but our child, I could love."
Ranma stiffened, and the words tumbled out of his mouth with little thought. "Why did you marry Hyuuga Hiashi when you do not love him?"
"I could ask you the same, Umino-san."
Silence.
"That's hardly fair, Hyuuga-san."
She shrugged. "But necessary to what you're seeking, is it not, Umino-san?"
Sigh. "I asked first, Hyuuga-san."
The silence resumed once more.
"My mother..." She began, tilting her head in reminiscence, each word deliberately slow. "She was born into the Branch House... she was extremely talented, a genius in her generation, and she felt that her status as a Branch Member was... unworthy of her."
Ranma blinked, but kept his silence at the seemingly change in topic.
"So she schemed, crawling her way into Hyuuga-sama's bed, and bore me."
"But..."
"Yes, Umino-san." She nodded, pale lips twisting in a not-quite smile. "Hiashi-sama is my half-brother."
"Oh..." He found no adequate reply.
"You should not act so surprised, Umino-san. It's quite common for clans with powerful bloodlines. We try to keep the blood as pure as we can." She shook her head, dark violet hair framing her face.
"What does that have to do with your marriage, Hyuuga-san?"
She laughed softly, shaking her head at him once more. "You do not understand, Umino-san. My mother received her title as Second Wife to Hyuuga-sama before I was born. I was raised proudly as a member of the Main Branch, allowed my fallacies in the medicinal field, and everything that I desired... How surprised I was, when I rebelled against the marriage with my younger half-brother, I was so easily... reduced... to a mere piece of child-bearing flesh."
"I offered you a chance to escape it... once."
"Yes, yes you did." She gave him a small smile. "But I had my obligations. I knew, that I would lose much, had I took your offer... and everything to gain, as the matriarch of the Hyuuga Clan."
He quelled the burst of unreasonable contempt. "Then why now, Hyuuga-san?"
"Ah-ah." She held up a hand. "It's your turn, Umino-san."
Silence.
"Before... a lot of things..." Ranma began, slow and hesitant. "I had a different life, I was the heir to a proud style of... Taijutsu. A well meant, if idiotic father, a mother with some strange ideals, but loved me nonetheless. Friends and rivals I could count on in my moments of need, and I was engaged to a girl whom I cared for, very much. I would have married her in time, become a teacher, and carry on the joining of our families with children of our own..."
"Like you are now." She spoke suddenly, startling him from his reminiscence.
"Yes." He admitted, bitterness swelling within. "I met my wife when she was sixteen, and I charmed her, married her, because... she was the splitting image of my fiancée."
Silence. Ranma felt his heart thumping loudly against his ribcage, his jaws clenched tightly, forcing himself to stop revealing more.
"We are much alike then, Umino-san." Pale eyes closed, and Byakugan opened, boring into him. "Though while I married for power and obligation, you seek to recreate a lost past."
"...Yes." And he felt a heavy weight suddenly lifted from his chest by the admittance.
"Thank you, Umino-san." Violet hair concealed her face as she stood, and bowed to him, Byakugan fading away. "I feel... oddly relieved by our conversation..."
"So do I, Hyuuga-san." Blue eyes watched her as she stepped closer.
Milky white eyes looked down to him, wistful. "Though at times, I regret not taking your offer while I had the chance, Umino-san..."
"Things have changed now, Hyuuga-san. I can't make that offer again."
"I know, Umino-san, I know."
Her lips were suddenly pressed against his, and he jerked back quickly. "Hyuuga-san! I can't!"
"Just this once." She murmured softly.
"I love you, because I love you."
Ranma sighed.
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TIMELINE – Year Nine, late August.
In which some more stuff happens. Note of thanks to the nifty people on the anifics forum, especially Serafita, who helped to rid the story of all its grammar and spelling failings.
And while Of Dreams and Memories is dedicated to Evil Kasumi, aka Lizmun, aka Lizzie. This chapter was written for Caliban and LeeYiankun of the anifics forums, who pointed out how OOC Ranma was behaving with his pining over Akane, and lo, this was written in an attempt of vague explaination, and bumped the original Part 15 into 16.
Another note I want to make was my deep, heart-felt gratitude for Xofia, because if he didn't review this story, I would not have went to his user ID page, nor would I have poked through his favorites section, and stumbled upon the omgwtfthisbledztehdead AMAZING piece of glorious splendor.
I have seen Euphoria, and its name is 'Let the Curtain Fall'.